2001 BMW 525i Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 2001 BMW 525i spans a four-door sedan and a four-door wagon, both Base, both built around a 2.5L inline-six of 152 cubic inches with double overhead camshafts, naturally aspirated on gasoline. By this point the car carries enough control units that diagnosis matters as much as mechanical skill, and the manual is arranged accordingly: procedures and specifications on one side, fault-code work and wiring diagrams on the other.

Engines covered

• 2.5L inline-six (152 cu in) — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sedan
• 4-door wagon

Trims covered

• Base

Known issues on the 2001 525i. Four recalls sit on the federal record. Two are cooling-fan faults: when the fan motor fails, it can overload the control unit's circuitry until the fan stops, and that failure can overheat the engine or start a fire in the control unit at the front of the engine bay. A third covers a frontal air bag inflator in the optional sports steering wheel, whose propellant can degrade with heat and humidity until it ruptures. The fourth is an air bag control module that can fire restraints unbidden. Of 22 complaints, six name the electrical system, three the air bags and three engine and engine cooling.